1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a reusable, energy absorbing, high molecular weight, high density polyethylene guardrail system designed to retain vehicles on or near a roadway, thereby lessening damage to the vehicles and decreasing the likelihood of serious injury to the occupants of the vehicles during vehicular accidents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automobile safety devices are not uncommon on the roadways. Most of these devices are restraint systems, placed along the edges of the highways, freeways and interstates, designed to contain the vehicles to the driving surface. Restrainment is crucial in reducing injury to the occupants of the vehicles and damage to the vehicles themselves by protecting such vehicles from both striking other objects, such as rock formations and other vehicles, and plummeting over roadside cliffs.
The standard roadside restrainment device comprises wood or metal rails firmly affixed to wood or metal post, which are implanted in the ground. These standard restraint devices, while designed to maintain vehicles involved in accidents on the roadway, can actually vault vehicles over the restraining devices and increase the danger to a vehicle and its inhabitants.
This increased danger occurs when the posts of the standard restraint device are deflected during an accident. As a vehicle impacts with the standard restraint device, the energy of the impact forces the post of the standard restraint device backwards. Since the post is implanted in the ground, the top portion of the post bends away from the impact and vertically down. This deflection pulls the affixed metal rails downward and creates a ramp type structure, thereby vaulting the vehicle over the standard restraint device. In essence, the purpose of most standard restraint devices is thwarted by the actual design of the standard restraint devices.
Some restraining devices correctly accomplish the restraint objective. However, most of these devices require complicated initial construction or a complete replacement of the restraint device once an impact between a vehicle and a restraint device occurs.
For example, Stevens U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,261, assigned to Energy Absorption Systems, Inc., requires complicated mechanical linkages and numerous bolts and couplings in order to assemble the restraint device. Also, each element of the Stevens xe2x80x9cVehicular Crash Cushionxe2x80x9d mandates multiple fasteners in order to secure the restraint system. To exacerbate the situation, several key impact elements of this device could be damaged after each substantial collision and must then be replaced before the device will function correctly. This leads to enormous expenditures of time and money in each instance the Stevens device requires assembly or replacement.
Fitch U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,275 also requires numerous mechanical attachments in order to create a vehicular restraint device. The Fitch xe2x80x9cCompression Guardrailxe2x80x9d uses multiple constriction bands, or other fasteners, to secure the restraint system. After an impact in which any single element of the device is damaged, the entire system must be disassembled. Then the entire system must be reconstructed in order to return the restraint device to its operational condition.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a reusable high molecular weight, high density polyethylene automobile restraint device with the capability of rapid and economical replacement of the components of the restraint device.
The present invention provides a reusable high molecular weight, high density polyethylene guardrail designed for economical construction and rapid replacement of the elements comprising the guardrail system. This guardrail system comprises a plurality of energy absorbing stanchions, a plurality of energy absorbing connector sleeves, a plurality of energy absorbing horizontal barriers engaging the energy absorbing connector sleeves, and a plurality of location devices containing a contact surface used to support the energy absorbing connector sleeves.
In the guardrail system, the energy absorbing stanchions engage the ground while the energy absorbing connector sleeves encompass a portion of the stanchion protruding from the ground. The energy absorbing horizontal barriers traverse consecutive connector sleeves by passing through from the exterior to the interior and back to the exterior of a connector sleeve. The location devices support the connector sleeves, which in turn locate the horizontal barriers, on stanchions at the proper height to engage vehicles alighting from the driving surface.
The elements of the present guardrail system are specifically designed and assembled to maintain a vehicle on the roadway surface once an impact has occurred between the guardrail system and the vehicle. Namely, the interaction between the stanchions, the connector sleeves and the location devices facilitate the containment of the vehicles to the roadway by maintaining the connector sleeves at the proper engagement height throughout an impact between the guardrail system and a vehicle. This substantially decreases the likelihood of a vehicle overturning, flipping end over end, or vaulting over the guardrail system once an impact between a vehicle and the guardrail system occurs.
To increase the continued effectiveness of the guardrail system, the energy absorbing connector sleeves are designed to easily lift off the location devices and slide over the energy absorbing stanchions. This action removes the connector sleeves and the energy absorbing horizontal barriers from the guardrail system and facilitates replacement of the connector sleeves and horizontal barriers. This novel design allows for rapid and economical replacement of the damaged elements of the guardrail system once an impact has damaged the system.
In fact, if just the horizontal barriers are damaged, the design of this invention allows for the uncomplicated replacement of only the horizontal barriers. This activity is accomplished by simply sliding the energy absorbing horizontal barriers out of the energy absorbing connector sleeves and replacing the energy absorbing horizontal barriers without removing the energy absorbing connector sleeves from the energy absorbing stanchions.
It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a guardrail system to contain vehicles on or near the roadway.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a guardrail system to absorb the energy of vehicles disembarking the roadway.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a guardrail system to substantially decrease the likelihood of a vehicle overturning, flipping end over end, or vaulting over the guardrail system once an impact between a vehicle and the guardrail system occurs.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a guardrail system composed of high molecular weight, high density polyethylene material.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a guardrail system which is reusable after an impact between a vehicle and the guardrail system.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a guardrail system that is easily assembled and is an economical alternative to the current vehicle restraint systems.